Sunday, August 19, 2012

What we need to know.

Y'all. Forgive me, but it's about to get real in here. Uber-dudes and conservatives may not want to read this, but I think they need to know this as much as, if not more, than all of us like-minded folks.

A fact of dating is sex, and a fact of sex is the possibility of pregnancy. If you're going to date, and you're going to fuck, you're going to be taking risks, and the only risk one should ever take is an informed one. Therefore, let me stand on my soapbox for a minute and talk about a few issues related to pregnancy in our world that have me worried.

I'd been thinking about writing a post on how undereducated so many of us are when it comes to sexually transmitted infections/diseases and pregnancy. We'll get there, but first we need to discuss the issue of U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO). He pulled this junk today: LA Times Story To save you the time of reading/watching, he stated in an interview this morning that in cases of "legitimate rape," a woman's body shuts down so it's very hard for a woman to get pregnant as a result of rape. If, heaven forbid, a woman's weak body backfires and she gets pregnant, then we should, of course, punish the rapist and not the baby.

Reading about this made me physically ill. That's usually an exaggeration, but I still feel a bit nauseated. This man wants to be one of our country's leaders - one of our 102 senators - and help shape policy, including the incredibly contested medical issues that we currently face. He obviously does not know how the female body works or pregnancy happens, so why should we let him help decide this?

Furthermore, how do let someone like Paul Ryan potentially be this country's next vice president? He supports Personhood USA, which propounds the idea that life begins at conception. That idea makes your average oral contraceptive verboten because it works to keep a fertilized egg from implanting. Yup - no more pills. Needless to say, he's against abortion of any form, fashion, or rationalization. He would also like you to say goodbye to rape crisis centers, Planned Parenthood, and any other assistance provided for those looking for low cost sexual healthcare.

That's where I really get concerned. In a recent study (reported on here by The Atlantic), a third of all babies born in the US were not planned for, and the biggest reason that happened is because these women thought it couldn't happen to them. Unwanted/unplanned/unprotected pregnancies are more likely to be underweight, have issues at birth, and suffer from the effects of a severe lack of prenatal care. So why let this happen? If it's easy and affordable to get contraception in the first place, people (men and women) are less likely to be unprepared for sex. If sex education is emphasized, people (men, women, and U.S. legislators) will know how our bodies work and just how easy it is to get pregnant. (Hint: There is no "safe" time, way, method, or place to have unprotected heterosexual intercourse and be guaranteed a baby won't result.)

If you're interested, google "war on women." It exists for real in the United States, and if you don't think so, you're not paying attention. This isn't a matter of feminism or class or anything else - it's your basic healthcare and wellbeing. If this doesn't get you on your toes, give me a few days until I can get some thoughts together on sexually transmitted disease and infections. Abortion and pregnancy are far from the only issues we face, especially as women.

Until then, do keep dating and having fun and living your lives, but please be safe!

HAPPY DATING!

(These are solely my views, and I don't speak for the other editors of DIW. However, I hope they and you chime in.)

Really diggin' this post! You're 100% correct, a lot of people aren't as educated as they should be. If they do take away the clinics like Planned Parent Hood we will be one fucked country with even more wild kids running around poppin' out kids. Really looking forward to your STD post and your thoughts on that.

Why do conservatives like Ryan lack common sense! I'm astonished that some people even women actually agree with him. It's posts such as these that help to take the power back! Thanks for raising awarness on such a crucial issue.

Great article.BUT, from a Republican pov, you need to have these unplanned babies and resulting kids who don't get properly cared for and educated (I'm not saying that all unplanned kids are neglected, nor am I saying that no planned kids get a raw deal, just that the odds favour the unplanned, especially if the mother is very young).How else are you going to preserve the labouring class? Who will work at your McDonalds, clean your offices and work in your warehouses? And most importantly, who would fill up all those private, for-profit jails that you have down there and are owned by their friends?~A Canadian Observer

How could a man of his statue even be so ignorant. What school did he go to? Paul Ryan is a perfect example of the religious brain-washed who hide behind their religion for their lack of common sense.

Better yet let him be ignorant to the masses. A better chance of him not getting into the White House. Unfortunate my fear is that he's even made it this far and spread propaganda to more and more people! Wow! At a loss for words!!

It is and shall forever be a woman's right and a woman's choice! Not to be made by man.

Yeah this blog is have a serious knowledge about dating. A fact of dating is sex, and a fact of sex is the possibility of pregnancy. That is true. But sometimes not at all people who wants to date someone wants to have sex. This concept is really interesting.

Only way to solve this is HEALTH EDUCATION. Like serious Health Education(Not merely teaching about contraception) where everyone (especially women) are able to access full and UNDERSTANDABLE information regarding pregnancy, transmission of diseases, etc.

Thank you for such informative post. I am a new member on your blog and I like your style. Nowadays early pregnancy and different infections you can find very often, unfortunately. But I guess much depends on eduction and if your parents have been talking with you about sex, you know what means to risk during sex.

I'm the father of one of those unplanned pregnancies. Best mistake I ever made. Coincidently I wasn't planning on having children, but clearly nature had other ideas. I'm fortunate I didn't pick up any nasties, and I've learnt my lesson to never ever skip protection again.

I feel ya man. Todd Akin is not the first one to espouse those views. There was a judge, I think he may have been on the Supreme Court, I'm not sure but he said that rape was impossible because the "juices" on a woman don't flow, or some crap like that.

I find it sad how the woman is always left with the burden of an unplanned pregnancy. There should be more responsibility directed back on the father. It is really unfair on the child to not have or know his father.

I've seen it time and time again how some people use religion for strategic advantage. This post reminds me of a friend whose husband was having an affair. She caught him studying the Bible which was totally out of character for him. Later, when the affair was discovered, he explains to her that the woman he was having an affair with was a Christian and whould not have sex with anyone who was not a Christian. Please note, the other woman was married and she knew the man was married to. God and religion was created to justify our feelings of intitlement.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but someone in a prominant position really needs to stop and think before opening their mouth. Being a politician shouldn't be an excuse for making wild comments.

Banning abortion and denying rape are retrogressive steps.If we start to impose religious laws on a secular society,then we are not being sensitive to diverse opinions in our society.

STDs are real but they are easily forgotten during the midst of pleasure.Couples who are looking towards a bright future together will not shy away from using protection.However,there are some ill-informed people who think asking or demanding protection is a sign of not trusting your partner i.e.lack of love.

Banning abortion and denying rape are retrogressive steps.If we start to impose religious laws on a secular society,then we are not being sensitive to diverse opinions in our society.

STDs are real but they are easily forgotten during the midst of pleasure.Couples who are looking towards a bright future together will not shy away from using protection.However,there are some ill-informed people who think asking or demanding protection is a sign of not trusting your partner i.e.lack of love.

That's a nice post... anyway we all know the risks of pregnancy and STD but nowadays we have very efficient ways to prevent them and it's just a matter of using them or not... A lot still needs to be done with education!